As we investigate the early years of The New Forest Show, we find an event firmly rooted in a working forest. Over one thousand people attended the first ever show in 1921, which is an extremely impressive turn out considering the population of the area at the time.

The New Forest Population has grown eightfold in two hundred years:
1801 - 23,000
1901 - 45,000
2007 - 172,000

Researching the New Forest Show records reveals the style and content of this annual event but only touches on the "real world": The rapid growth of the forest's towns and villages, the decline in economical commoning and the The Forestry Commissions changing attitude to forest management over the last fifty years. Undoubtedly the biggest change the New Forest has experienced is the development of the motor car, bringing ever greater numbers of tourists to the area each year.

Since the invention of the camera, much of these changes are now a permanent record. There are certainly thousands of photographs tucked away in family albums, each with a story to tell. 8mm film became extremely popular over the period with many family and public events committed to celluloid.

Photos, films and particularly personal memories will help us build a picture of the New Forest Show and it's importance to the New Forest. We would also like to lodge worthy films and photographs with the New Forest Centre and Museum and also with the brand new film project being launched this year - The New Forest Film Archive Project. This New Forest Movieola project is appealing for old films that portray any aspect of life in the New Forest and to preserve them as a collection for public benefit. Restoration, cleaning and transfer of old films to video is all taken care of by the project.

If you would like to contact us about the New Forest Show in particular or the history of the area in general please do email us through the link below, we would love to hear from you.

showandtell@newforestgateway.org